Three Wishes
by tentsubasa
Summary: They say, "Third time's the charm," but does that apply to love too? Kahoko Hino is about to find out.


**Hello! Hello! I started this a long time ago, but never had an idea of how to finish it until now. The song is kind of abstract and all over the place, so I was having trouble actually incorporating the song into the text, so maybe it's not exactly a songfic, but the story is inspired by a song. I hope you like it.**

**The song this time is F.I.R.'s "San Ge Xin Yuan" or "Three Wishes." Thoughts will be in italics within quotes. Since it's a Chinese song, I'll have the original Chinese lyrics in pinyin first with the English translation immediately afterward.**

**If you would like to listen to the song, you can find it here: youtube…com/watch?v=yXgMTS8rKhk.**

**Please review when you're done! (^_^)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own ****_Kiniro no Corda_**** or any affiliates. I don't own F.I.R.'s "San Ge Xin Yuan" either.**

* * *

"Thanks for inviting us over, Kaho-chan," Mio smiled and sipped her coke. "It's been a while since we've just hung out like this."

"Yeah," Nao agreed while grabbing a handful of popcorn. "Ever since we all started college, it hasn't been the same."

"No problem," Kahoko turned her eyes from the TV and smiled at her two friends before picking up a couple of kernels of popcorn herself.

"Our next guest is Japan's rising star of the cinema, Kazuki Hihara. Be sure to catch our exclusive interview with him after the break," a talk show host announced before cutting to a commercial about tofu.

"Oh, that's right! Hihara-senpai's newest movie is coming out in a couple weeks," Mio chirped happily. "I can't wait to go see it!"

Kahoko nodded. "It looks pretty good. I guess Hihara-senpai is a detective who's tracking down a serial killer." She shivered. "I'll probably get nightmares from watching it, but I'm excited too."

The girls chatted a little more about this and that before Nao suddenly said, "Hey, guys, look," and directed their attention back to the TV.

They all quieted and eagerly watched the movie trailer that they had just been talking about. As Kahoko watched the trailer, her eyes followed her green-haired friend. She unconsciously bit her lip and leaned slightly forward. Her favorite part was coming up.

Kazuki turned to face the screen, held out his hand, and asked with a spark of danger in his eyes, "Well, are you coming?"

She felt her heart melt slightly as the screen held his image before cutting to the studio.

**(Wo xi huan ni de yan shen wen rou you wei xian) I like the look in your eyes, gentle yet dangerous**

"That was the movie trailer for our guest's newest movie that is set to hit theaters in a couple of weeks. And now it is my pleasure to welcome to the show the charming Prince of the Japanese Silver Screen, Kazuki Hihara!"

Smiling, Kazuki walked on stage amidst the thunderous applause and waved with a friendly smile at the audience.

"Look! It's Hihara-senpai!" Mio squealed. "Doesn't he look so hot with his fashion glasses?"

**(Qing bu yao dai shan yan jing wo hui kan bu jian) Please don't wear glasses, I will not be able to see them**

Kahoko shook her head. "I don't care for them. They hide his eyes."

Nao teased, "I suppose those glasses _do_ make it harder for you to gaze longingly into those amber orbs, eh, Kaho?" She elbowed her with a mischievous wink.

"Don't tease me!" the red-faced girl whined. She made a face at her black-haired friend. "_I should have known that I would never hear the end of it when I admitted that I kind of liked Hihara-senpai! Worst game of Truth or Dare EVER!_"

- (x_x) -

Kazuki blearily opened his eyes. The train would be at his station soon. He shook his head to try and shake the image from his dream, but no matter how much he tried, it stayed. He flipped open his phone and scrolled to a picture. The happy faces of a green-haired boy and a red-haired girl greeted him.

**(****Xiang yao zhang kai shuang shou ba ni bao bei****) I open my arms to hold you, baby**

He smiled softly at the picture. After traveling around for so long, he was back.

"That her?" his agent teased, observing the tenderness in his face as he looked at the picture.

Kazuki blushed bright red. "Uh, err, Yamashita-san, h-how much free time will I have while we're here?" he asked, ignoring the older lady's question. He stared out the window in hopes of hiding his beet-red face.

His manager flipped open her planner and skimmed the contents. "You actually have most days free. Your Saturdays will be a little busy, but since this is partially a trip to visit your family, I made sure to leave your schedule pretty open. Why?"

**(****Xiang he ni tian tian jian mian****) Want to see you everyday**

He stared at the window even harder. "No reason," he muttered unconvincingly.

"Oh?" she raised an eyebrow. "Don't tell me that this mysterious girl lives around here…" She smirked slightly when Kazuki winced. Her face became serious. "Hihara-kun, look at me."

Kazuki turned slowly with a serious, yet cautious look on his face. He knew _that_ tone.

"Now you and I both know that there's a girl," she stated flatly. "There's no other reason that you would look like a goofy, love-struck teenager at a picture on your phone whenever you think I'm not looking. And the number of times you look at it seems to increase exponentially the farther we are from Japan."

He blushed and twiddled his thumbs. He had been caught red-handed. It's just, the further he was from home, the more homesick for her he was.

**(****Xiang dai ni huan you shi jie****) Want to take you traveling around the world**

"I want you to be happy; I really do. But," she paused until she had his complete, undivided attention. "You need to keep your celebrity status in mind. A misplaced photograph of the two of you could spell disaster for her if she treasures her normal, everyday lifestyle."

He nodded slowly. "I understand, Yamashita-san," he whispered, sadness filling his voice.

- (U_U) -

Kahoko turned over and sighed. She couldn't fall asleep. Mio and Nao had fallen asleep hours ago, but here she was, still awake. Hugging her pillow to herself, she let her mind drift back to the TV's newest revelation.

_"So what are you planning to do in preparation for your upcoming movie premiere, Hihara-san?"_

_Kazuki laughed. "Actually, I'll be doing very little. I've got a couple of radio spots coming up, but mostly I'll be spending the next couple of weeks visiting my family." He smiled. "I haven't been home in a few years, so it'll be nice to spend time with them."_

She smiled happily. "_He's coming back…_" Her heart fluttered for a second. Burying her head a little further into her pillow, she scolded herself. "_What's wrong with you? You haven't seen or really talked to Hihara-senpai in ages! Just because he's coming back to visit his family for a couple of weeks doesn't mean that you'll get to see him. Besides,_" she thought sadly, "_He's probably forgotten all about you. It's to be expected, right? He's a movie star now, so he's busy meeting all sorts of new and exciting people. Even Yunoki-senpai said that he has trouble getting in touch with him._"

She sighed and thought quietly about her ever-cheerful senpai.

**(****Wo xi huan ni ai cheng qiang ben ben de xiao lian****) I like the way you love to pretend, a foolish smile on your face**

His best feature had to be his smile. It was infectious. Even just remembering it brought a smile to her face. He was always able to cheer her up. She smiled and snuggled under her blankets a little more.

**(****Zai xin zhong tai tou ting xiong jian ding de xin nian****) Deep at heart, holding up a very strong belief**

After his smile, came his eyes, she supposed. His eyes always held a soulful depth. "_Although…_" a thoughtful frown crossed her face, "_i__t's because of his deep character and caring nature that his eyes are like that. 'The eyes are the windows to the soul' after all. He's so free and cheerful, but he feels deeply and can be really serious and intense._"

**(****Zhe ge liao kuo shi jie bu gou wan mei****) This wide world is not beautiful enough  
(****Dan you le ni zai wo shen bian shen me dou hen OK****) But having you at my side, everything is ok**

As she drifted off to sleep, she smiled; in the dream that she was beginning to fall into, she could see his kind eyes and feel the warmth of his smile. "_Hihara-senpai…._"

- (-_-)zZ -

"Ok, and here's our first caller." The radio host grinned at Kazuki before greeting the caller. "Hello! You're on the air with Kazuki Hihara! What is your question?"

"Umm…Well…"

"Go, on! Just ask!" a slightly distant voice urged.

"Are you sure it's ok?" the caller asked her friend hesitantly.

"I'm curious too!" another girl chimed in.

The radio host chuckled. "I wonder what these girls are cooking up for you, Hihara-san…" she teased with a good-natured smile.

"Who knows…?" Kazuki laughed a little, trying to quash the slight sense of unease that had crept up in his stomach.

"Ah, Hihara-sama…Is…Is it true that you're dating the actress, Mao Aragaki?" the girl asked, hesitant, yet determined to find out the truth.

"Eh?!" Kazuki yelped, blushing furiously.

Kahoko's ears pricked up when she heard his shocked reaction over the radio on her desk. Her heart ached as she thought, "_Maybe he is dating her…It would make sense. She's so glamorous…And they looked good together in their last movie…._"

"N-no, I'm not dating her…" he stammered. "Aragaki-chan and I got to be friends because we worked on a couple films together," he explained quickly. Noticing the radio host's skeptically amused expression, he realized that his reaction could be taken the wrong way. He needed to make sure he wasn't misunderstood. Taking a deep breath to calm himself down, he firmly stated in a tone that rang of his sincerity, "I don't have any feelings like that for her."

Kahoko smiled brightly and went back to her homework. Actor or not, she recognized that tone.

"Ok, thank you for answering our question, Hihara-sama," the caller embarrassedly answered. In the background, one could faintly hear the excited chatter of her friends at the news.

"Ah, ha-ha…No problem." Kazuki responded kindly.

"And now our next question." The host winked at him. "I wonder if it'll be another love-related one." Turning back to the voice box, she spoke into the microphone, "You're on the air! What is your question?"

"Ah, umm…" another girl hesitated before diving straight into her question. "Please give us a straight answer! Do you have anyone that you like, Hihara-sama?"

Kazuki shot a whiny look at the radio host who was trying, rather unsuccessfully, to suppress her laughter. "A person I like, huh…I…" he paused, Yamashita-san's warning ringing in his ears.

"'_You need to keep your celebrity status in mind. A misplaced photograph of the two of you could spell disaster for her if she treasures her normal, everyday lifestyle.'_"

**(****Di yi ge xin yuan wei ni ba xing fu dui ji****) The first wish is a pile of happiness for you  
(****Tian ya dao hai jiao tou fa dao hu xi****) From the edge of the sky to the deepest sea**

"_Her happiness is the most important thing…As much as I would love to finally be able to confess my feelings for her, especially now when she could possibly hear me the very instant I say the words, I don't want to make trouble for her. If I want to protect her, maybe I should lie…._"

As he opened his mouth to fib though, another thought came to him.

**(****Di er ge xin yuan gei ni zui hao de zi ji****) The second wish is to give you the best of myself**

"_No…I don't want to lie about my feelings for her. The way I feel about her isn't something to be ashamed of. How could I ever face her or anyone else again if I denied what was most important to me?_"

**(****Zai xu ge xin yuan wo de ai ba ni zhan ling****) The last wish is that my love will dwell in you**

He smiled serenely, a soft light coming to his eyes, before murmuring, "I do." He prayed that this wasn't a mistake.

- (6_6) -

**(****Wei shen me wei le xiao shi jiu yao diao yan lei****) Why do you shed your tears over little things?**

Her heart was breaking. As she listened to him talk on and on about some girl, she desperately tried to work on her music theory homework. She wanted to turn off the radio, but she didn't dare. When had she become such a masochist?

She frowned and tried to focus on her homework again. "_Ok, I'm supposed to annotate the score now…Let's see…._" The lines blurred. She wiped her sleeve over her eyes, but no matter how many times she repeated the action, the music was blurred by her imminent tears.

**(****Hao xiang you tai duo de shi zhi neng zi ji bei****) Looks like there are a lot of problems that you can only bear alone**

The fifth time she tried unsuccessfully to wipe away her tears, she lowered her head onto her arms for a good cry. He liked someone, and according to the radio, it was someone he had known for a long time too. She supposed that considering how little they had talked recently, it was unreasonable for her to be jealous of this mystery girl, but she couldn't help it. She had loved him for the last three years, ever since her first year in college. This must be punishment for being too chicken to confess before he left. For the rest of the show, jealous, torturous thoughts of the mysterious woman who held his heart plagued her to the point of distraction until she eventually crumpled up the scratch sheet she was working on and threw it in the trash can in frustration.

The phone downstairs rang. Leaning her head against the cool desk, she let it ring. She was in no mood to talk to anyone right now.

The answering machine picked up. "Hello! You've reached the Hino residence. Please leave your name, phone number, and a message, and we'll get back to you. Thank you!" A high-pitched beep shrilled through the air.

"Uh…Kaho-chan? It's me, Hihara…Kazuki Hihara. I'm not sure if you remember me anymore—I've been so bad at keeping in touch—but we were in an intra-school concours together in high school your second year. I'm sorry for calling so suddenly, but…well…I…I was wondering-"

**(****Qi shi zhi yao ni shuo yi ju ok****) But if you would only say one sentence, okay**

She raced down the stairs and scooped up the phone in a flash. "H-hello? Hihara-senpai?"

"Ah, H-hi, Kaho-chan," he replied; he could feel his palms begin to sweat. It had been a long time.

Sniffling and wiping her eyes, she tried to keep the quaver out of her voice. "H-how c-can I help y-you?"

"Is something wrong?" Kazuki asked, nervousness immediately forgotten. All of his energies channeled into making sure his precious Kaho-chan was OK.

**(****Xian zai jiu li ke ma shang bian cheng ni de superman****) Right now I'll immediately change into your superman**

Kahoko smiled softly, he was still as sweet as ever. "I-I'm f-fine, Hihara-senpai."

"You're sure?"

Kahoko could feel the concern radiating out of the phone. "Yes," she replied in a more decided tone of voice. "_It's good to have you back, Hihara-senpai_," she thought with a smile.

He frowned, still not convinced. "Do you still live where you used to?"

She cocked her head to the side in confusion. "Yes, but why…?"

"I'm coming over then. We'll get ice cream."

"You don't have to do that senpai!" she exclaimed in a panic. She was still in her pajamas!

"I still owe you ice cream from three years ago, remember? We were going to get some, but then I suddenly got my big break." He still regretted that he had to leave her at the shop like that.

**(****Zhe shi shang zui zhong yao de bu zhi shi shi yan****) In this world, there are things that are more important than just promises**

"Yes," she murmured back softly, "I remember…." How could she forget? That was the day she was planning to tell him how she felt. She was surprised he still remembered their promise. She smiled, a warmth that only he could provide glowing in her heart. It would be good to see him again. "Alright," she heard herself agreeing. "Pick me up in an hour?"

**(****Zhi yao ni chang chang ji de qin qin wo de lian****) Just want you to remember to often kiss my face fondly**

He grinned. "I'll be there." He suddenly thought of something. "Could you do me a favor and wear the Seiso uniform if you still have it? I was planning to wear mine."

She laughed a little bit. "Trying to return to the days of old, Hihara-senpai?" she asked teasingly.

**(****Wo hui yong yuan ji de zhe ge jin tian****) I will forever remember this very day**

"Why not? I miss those days. We can be two schoolmates wandering around again," he joked back.

"If you say so," she grinned. "I'll see you in an hour, Hihara-senpai."

Exactly an hour later, they stood in front of her house. For some reason, they both had brought their instruments out with them.

"Ready to go?" he asked with a smile.

"Yes," she beamed back.

**(****Hai you hen jiu de na yi tian wo ye yao you ni pei****) Still have a long time until that day; I want you to accompany me**

As they walked along, they laughed and talked and joked as if the three years in between had never happened.

She smiled up at him as he animatedly gestured with his free hand, recounting a disaster that had happened on a set he had worked on. He looked so happy and alive. She was so glad to see that the choice to go into acting had gone so well. His smile looked more radiant than she could remember it ever being.

**(****Di yi ge xin yuan wei ni ba xing fu dui ji****) The first wish is a pile of happiness for you  
(****Tian ya dao hai jiao tou fa dao hu xi****) From the edge of the sky to the deepest sea**

Letting him go had been the best thing she could have done for him, she decided right then.

**(****Di er ge xin yuan gei ni zui hao de zi ji****) The second wish is to give you the best of myself**

"_But…_" She looked sidelong at him as they walked companionably out of the ice cream shop where fate had split them three years previous. "_I still wish I knew what your answer would have been if I'd been able to tell you…_" she thought wistfully, taking a lick of her strawberry ice cream.

**(****Zai xu ge xin yuan wo de ai ba ni zhan ling****) The last wish is that my love will dwell in you**

"Hey Kaho-chan…"

"Hmm?" She looked up at him, drawn away from her thoughts.

"Are you alright?" At her surprised look, he continued, "You were crying when I called you earlier, weren't you?" Before she could deny it, he persisted, "And you look so solemn and pensive now…Did you want to talk about it?"

As they looked at each other, her mind whirled around and around. Did she want to tell him? After all these years, did she dare?

"Hihara-senpai…I…I was thinking about that day we were supposed to have ice cream together three years ago," she started hesitantly.

He looked at her in surprise. "That thing that you wanted to talk to me about, did it not get resolved?" he asked apologetically.

She blushed and averted her gaze slightly. "You could say that…."

"Ah! Your ice cream!" Kazuki moved to keep her from plopping her ice cream on the ground.

Her shocked eyes locked with his as their hands touched. They stood that way for what seemed an eternity: eyes locked, his face bent near, his hand softly cradling her own. She had to do it. "Hi-Hihara-senpai…I…I…the…the truth is…."

"Hihara-sama!" a girl squealed from nowhere. Kazuki was immediately mobbed by fans, quickly displacing Kahoko to the outer edge of the huddle.

Kazuki called to her when he saw her tearfully run away, but he couldn't be heard over the rabble of adoring fans. Recognizing a lost battle when he saw one, he fixed a polite smile to his face and began quickly autographing and posing for pictures, every so often glancing worriedly in the direction the red-haired girl had fled.

~ (;_;) ~

Kahoko blindly ran and ran and ran and ran until she hit a low wall in a secluded corner of the park. Feet aching, she sat down on it and let herself dissolve into tears. "Why is this happening? Why is it every time I try to confess my feelings to Hihara-senpai, something comes up?" she asked rhetorically. She groaned and buried her face in her hands. "It's like I'm always missing a step. Last time we had only just arrived at the ice cream shop when Hihara-senpai got the call back from that agent. This time we got the ice cream, but those fangirls noticed us at the absolute worst moment." She sighed and looked down at her hand, reliving that moment of pure bliss when they had touched. "I like you Hihara-senpai…I like you so much," she whispered. "For the past three-and-a-half years I've liked you…."

Suddenly a pair of hands cupped her face, lifting her head so her eyes could meet the kind, deliriously happy amber ones she loved. "Really?" he asked quietly.

**(Di yi ge xin yuan wei ni ba xing fu dui ji****) The first wish is a pile of happiness for you**

"Y-yes" she breathed. "A-and you?" she asked shyly.

His face broke out into a wide smile. "Ever since the concours."

Her eyes widened. "Then…then the girl from the radio show…"

**(****Tian ya dao hai jiao tou fa dao hu xi****) From the edge of the sky to the deepest sea**

"Was you," he finished. He leaned on the wall so he could touch his forehead to hers. "It's always been you, Kaho-chan."

**(****Di er ge xin yuan gei ni zui hao de zi ji****) The second wish is to give you the best of myself**

His eyes suddenly looked a bit worried. "I'm sorry about the fans back there…Are you okay with that…?"

She smiled softly and cupped his face. She really did love him. "As long as you only look at me," she whispered.

He smiled and pulled away slightly, taking her hands in his. "You're the only one I want," he murmured back.

**(****Zai xu ge xin yuan wo de ai ba ni zhan ling****) The last wish is that my love will dwell in you**

He suddenly looked nervous. "Umm…Kaho-chan…would…would it be alright if-if I k-k-kissed y-you?"

In response, she smiled and pushed herself up on her toes, eyes closed, face sweetly lifted for him.

He gulped and cautiously leaned down as his heart hammered in his chest.

They both jolted slightly when their lips touched, but quickly shed the awkwardness as the sweetness of the moment prevailed. As they pressed in a little more closely, they both smiled. It was like a little taste of heaven.

* * *

**I think it's kind of nice to have Kahoko pining for Kazuki sometimes instead of it always being the other way around. (^_^)**

**If you haven't found it already, there's a Kazuki x Kahoko community on Facebook that has the sweetest picture of Kazuki and Kahoko kissing. No login required if you find it via Google!**

**Mao Aragaki = Inoue Mao + Aragaki Yui; two Japanese actresses I like.**


End file.
